Barriers to Communication:

Many people think that communicating is easy. It is, after all,

something we've done all our lives. There is some truth in this
simplistic view. Communicating is straightforward.What makes it
complex, difficult, and frustrating are the barriers we put / that
come in the way. When communication doesn’t happen, conflict
often does.

There are Six Barriers to Communication:

1. Physical Barriers
2. Cultural Barriers
3. Interpersonal Barriers
4. Perceptual Barriers
5. Emotional Barriers
6. Language Barriers
1. Physical Barriers:
Physical barriers are the environmental and natural conditions that act
as a barrier in communication in sending message from sender to
receiver. Organizational environment or interior workspace design
problems, technological problems and noise are the parts of physical
barriers.

Physical barriers (in the workplace) include:

• Marked out territories, empires and fiefdoms into which
strangers/others are not allowed
• Closed office doors, barrier screens, and separate areas for
people of different status and designation.
• Large working areas or working in one unit that is physically
separate from others
As one of the most important factors in building cohesive teams is
proximity, being close to others aids communication because it
helps people get to know one another.
Example: Mr. Rahim Qazi sits in the second floor of the building
whereas his entire team sits is in the third floor of the office and as
a result his communication is limited to the entire team. This is an
example of Physical barrier.
2. Cultural Barriers:
Cultural diversity makes communication difficult as the mindset of
people of different cultures are different, the language, signs and
symbols are also different. Different cultures have different
meaning of words, behaviors and gestures. Culture also gives rise
to prejudices, ethnocentrism, manners and opinions.
Example: Americans prefer to be called by their first name
irrespective of their age and designation, whereas Indians (may)
have some reservations for the same. This is a classic example of
Cultural Barrier.
3. Interpersonal Barriers:
Interpersonal communication is the process by which people
exchange information, feelings, and meaning through verbal and
non-verbal messages: it is face-to-face communication. Poor self-
esteem, social anxiety, and other issues can make it difficult for
people to feel comfortable opening up to others, which hurts their
ability to communicate feelings accurately to others as well as their
ability to interpret others. You might experience these struggles in
the following ways:
Lack of participation: It’s impossible to communicate with someone
who doesn’t want to. People can appear unwilling to communicate
when they don’t speak up when they should, dodge direct questions,
or use defensive body language.
Lack of open-mindedness: It’s tough to communicate with someone
who refuses to explore different points of view, opinions, or ideas
about the world. We must be able to get along with people of different
viewpoints to function even at a basic level with other people.
Example: Niharika is the part of the weekly sales meeting in her office
but because of her unwillingness to participate in the meeting, she
barely spoke and gave her inputs in the meeting. This is an example of
Interpersonal barrier to communication.
4. Perceptual Barriers:

Perceptual barriers are internal barriers to communication. If you go

into a situation thinking that the person you are talking to isn't going
to understand or be interested in what you have to say, you may end
up subconsciously sabotaging your effort to make your point.

• Perceptual Filters - We all have our own preferences, values,

attitudes, origins and life experiences that act as "filters" on our
experiences of people, events and information. Seeing things
through the lens of our own unique life experiences or
"conditioning" may lead to assumptions, stereotyping and
misunderstandings of others whose experiences differ from our
own.

• Triggers and Cues - What we say is affected by how we say it

(tone, volume) and by our nonverbal cues, such as body language
and facial gestures. For example, you may perceive a situation
differently if the person you are speaking with is smiling or
frowning, has body odour and is standing too close or is not
giving you direct eye contact.

Example: Rajveer has relocated to New Delhi for new job but as his
past experiences in New Delhi were not good, he has stereotyped
views on Delhi and natives of Delhi thereby limiting his social
circle and interaction with the people around him. This is an
example of perceptual barrier.
5. Emotional Barriers:
One of the chief barriers to open and free communications is
emotional.The emotional barrier is comprised mainly of fear,
mistrust and suspicion.The roots of our emotional mistrust of others
lie in our childhood and infancy when we were taught to be careful
about what we said to others.
"Mind your P's and Q's."
"Don't speak until you're spoken to."
"Children should be seen and not heard."
As a result, many people hold back from communicating their
thoughts and feelings to others. They feel vulnerable. While some
caution may be wise, excessive fear of what others might think
stunts our development as effective communicators and our ability
to form meaningful relationships.
Example: Riya has joined a new team in her where all the team
members are elder to her. This makes Riya uncomfortable to
disagree with anyone in her team as he is not able to put forth her
views and make any submission in any meeting. This is an
example of Emotional barrier to communication.
6. Language Barriers:
Our language may present barriers to others who are not familiar
with our expressions, buzz-words and jargon. When we couch our
communication in such language, it excludes others. Understanding
this is key to developing good public speaking skills and report
writing skills.
In a global marketplace, the greatest compliment we can pay
another person is to talk to them in their own language.
Example: One of the more chilling memories of the Cold War was
the threat by the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev who said to the
Americans at the United Nations:
"We will bury you!"
This was taken to mean a threat of nuclear annihilation.
However, a more accurate reading of Khruschev's words would
have been:
"We will overtake you!"
By this, he meant economic superiority. It was not just the language
used that was the problem.
The fear and suspicion that the West had of the Soviet Union led to
the more alarmist and sinister interpretation.